we lost the camera for the bay bridge. let's move on to our palo alto camera. both of the shots for a second on the bay bridge and on the peninsula an easy drive. the lights are at the limit. back to you. >> thanks, mike. we want to tell you about that breaking news. large fire response in the south bay. firefighters on the scene of a ranch in morgan hill. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez also live there this morning. understand there's lots of engines. you can see them there behind you, kris. >> reporter: hi there, laura. this is a really big response. you can see the long line of fire trucks here responding to this fire, and with good reason. the battalion chief from cal fire who is in charge here says that as he was arriving, cosee those flames from highway 101, could gain perspective we're off of monterey road. let's show you video we have. the fire is now out. it appears these were all greenhouses and they were unoccupied as far as we talk about legal living spaces. firefighters do tell us they

found evidence that somebody was living in one of those greenhouses. those people did manage to make it out this morning. no hazardo materials. firefighters said that was the product of a truck that exploded and some small propane tanks, but no real danger to firefighters. they are now inside those greenhouses trying to sort through what's in there, but as we can tell you, there is no one who was living there that was supposed to be living there. the folks who seem to be staying there did manage to get out, and at this particular agricultural business, there were no animals on site. so now the mop-up continues. the water trucks are still hi, kris sanchez, n water jus "today in the bay." >> thanks for the update, kris. now to the big story of the day, theoasto coast headed to the t top state and local races ahead. now we begin in washington, d.c., where every single house

seat is up for grabs, and it could change the power balance on capitol hill. >> tracie potts, a lot is at stake. >> a lot is at stake, about half the states have polls that are already open, about a dozen more opening this hour. some at this moment and yes, there's a lot at stake in governors races in two-thirds of our states. we're watching those. two-thirds of the senate up for grabs, and as you noted, every single house seat with just a few of them poised to tip the balance of power here. >> we are going to win this race. >> reporter: from texas -- >> we have this chance to do something amazing. >> reporter: -- to arizona. >> we are what's at stake. >> reporter: -- to florida. >> folks are going to come up. they are fired up. >> i want the committee to know they're not going to be feree o >> she has voted against border funding. >> reporter: issues the next health care, right? congress will decide, 23 seats e

house of representatives. polls favor democrats, but record early voting makes those polls unpredictable. >> it's impossible to tell in advance which ones are right and which ones are wrong. >> reporter: georgia's governor's race taking a nasty turn with racist phone calls and one candidate, the attorney general, investigating democrats for hacking voter registration. >> you cannot be the referee and the player. >> i'm not worried about how it looks. i'm doing my job. >> reporter: president trump making his final arg missouri. >> our opponents have been on a relentless campaign to obstruct, resist, demolish, defame and destroy. you can stop them with your votes tomorrow. >> reporter: former president obama in virginia. >> the character of this country is on the ballot. >> reporter: character on the ballot, with division in washington driving the vote. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> all right, thank you, tracie. >> we want to show you a map of all the battleground states. seems severe weather might

affect some of those polling places. certainly not us here inic ica california. meteorologist kari hall tracking the weather. >> you can see there's a line of storms ahead of a cold front moving through much of the southeast now. as of now, there are no watches or warnings in effect, but this may keep some people in at least for the early part of the day. things are expected to clear up later on this afternoon, as that all moves off to the east. laura, marcus? >> all right, thank you there, kari. if you have problems at the polls, we want to hear about that. nbc bay area is teaming up with pro publica to track any issues at this election. if you spot a problem, give us a call, that number 833-nbc-kntv, or let us know at nbcbayarea.com/decision2018. in california, state senate race there today kevin deleon

will cast his vote and his opponent incumbent senator dianne feinstein cast her vote in san francisco yesterday. back in july deleon won the endorsement of the state democratic party, but that failed to translate into a major financial support. recent polls show feinstein in the lead. today voter also make decisions on ballot measures. one of the most controversial is the gas tax repeal measure. it would repeal a 12 cent gas tax and increase in registration to fund road repairs.f living i high enough as it is, while opponents say the fund something needed to help make road repairs and fund transit projects. one of the most divisive measures is proposition 10, voting yes means state law would not limit rent control laws in cities and counties. instead, rent control authority would be established in each community. those opposing the measure saying it would make the housing

crisis worse because it will would allow more fees on top of rent. those in favor say prop 10 would help people getting pushed out of their homes, because it would control how much landlords increase rent per year. nbc has live team coverage as the election results come in. join lester holt, savannah guthrie and chuck todd at 7:00 tonight. >> 5:06. in other news, police in mountain view are investigating y d. this happened a little before 7:00 last night at charleston and huff. police say that woman was struck by a vehicle at that intersection, that was closed for hours there so police could investigate. witnesses tell us a bus may have been involved. police so far are not giving out details on the driver or the identity of the woman who died. >> it is 5:06. and new this morning, the ceo of alphabet self-driving car company weimo is talking about an accident involving one of its

cars that injured a motorcyclist. the test driver had taken control of the car and was at fault, it happened october 19th in mountain view, when another car moved too close to the waymo car forcing the test driver to move into the adjacent lane. the test driver never saw the approaching motorcyclist. tesla concluded a crash would have been avoided had the car stayed in self-driving mode. some sports fans would tell you there's nothing quite like seeing an unsung hero emerge from nowhere. >> the 49ers have that guy in quarterback nick mullens, and so do the warriors. no one drafted alfonso mckinnie four seasons ago. his first team was in the east side pirates in luxembourg. he scored 14 points off the bench last night and helped spark a late run to pull away. the warriors beat memphis 117-101. i'm a warriors fan.

>> if not, i have to take your tickets back. >> no, we don't want to do that, right, kari? we need our tickets. >> all right, right now at 5:08, we start out in palo alto. it is a chilly morning. bundle up before you head out, and then by 9:00 we're at 55 degrees. low 70s by 2:00 today. another beautiful afternoon, as we head up toward 79 degrees in palo alto, and 77 in san jose. we will have a few more low 80s on the map, so just slightly warmer than it was yesterday but all of these temperatures well above normal for this time of year. we'll talk about what's ahead for the rest of the he's been tracking the commute and so far looks good. >> we don't have any major problems right now. you may see disruptions to some patterns because some folks vote before or after work. watch areas around schools or churches, where voters will gather and unfamiliar with the area so keep that in mind. watch the crosswalks as well.

we're watching out here out of the altamont, there is no major problem. not a lot of traffic flow once you pass grant line road. little shift from green to orange here for 84, isabel and valecitos tend to have the construction zone. the dublin interchange is not a problem. crossover to the bay, still going west, this is 92 across the san mateo bridge, an easy drive. getting to the bay bridge, here are your travel times. upper east shoreo the plaza itself. back to you. >> thanks, mike. coming up, our election day cogeif you're lookingoru t. we'll tell you about the discounts they're offering to voters. wall street pretty good at making bets. we'll tell you what they're betting about today's election day. plus, she's not old enough to vote, but this little girl going door to door to get the vote out. >> i don't really care if people vote for democrats or republicans. i just want people to get out there and vote. >> she's on "ellen" today. coming up at 5:25, we're going

to show you some of our tactics to get folks out there to vote. you're watching "today in the bay." more news ahead.

"look what she's accomplished... she authored the ban on assault weapons... pushed the desert protection act through congress, and steered billions of federal dollars to california projects such as subway construction and wildfire restoration." "she... played an important role in fighting off ...trump's efforts to kill the affordable care act." california news papers endorse dianne feinstein for us senate. california values senator dianne feinstein right now at 5:13, in los gatos as you head to the polls, it's going to be chilly out there, starting out with some upper 40s, but we go from 47 to 75 at 1:00 today. it's going to be another nice day, with well above normal temperatures. look at all of our microclimates coming up next.

>> a nice clear view, a nice clear drive, with company. san rafael southbound 101, the curve to terra linda, to the golden gate bridge, you're basically at your limit. i have a new report 101 goin on election day. i wouldn't expect too much action on wall street today. restoration hardware opens a strun restaurant, yeah, a restaurant in yountville today. wall street good at making bets and the bet is the democrat also take the house today. frank over a historically the ms do well under a split government. one party rubbing one side to the capital and another party running the other side. facebook is ready for today's election, after criticism it did severe damage to the democratic process last time we held a nationwide election. facebook said last night it removed more than 100 accounts, 30 on facebook, 35 on instagram

created by foreign actors. > ment a the department of homeland security, the fbi and director of national intelligence warned americans should be aware that foreign actors, russia in particular, continue to influence public sentiment, and voterthugh the a sew discord. president trump once again called russi i just last night. facebook said it banned the president's political ad aimed at immigrants. many find it racist. critics banned it, fox news banned it. nbc did run it on sunday night football but since changed its mind. nbc issued a statement that says "after further review, we recognize the insensitive nature of the ad and have decided to cease airing it across our properties as soon as possible." of course, aired it sunday. it's irrelevant wednesday. >> all right. >> thank you very much, scott. we keep saying it over and

over, in fact, i was going to start counting. it's election day! google is actually changing its iconic home page to encourage that word to get out and for to you go out and vote. check it out, by clicking on the letters, you'll be directed to a link where you can search for polling places in your area. >> and if you need to get to do ride there, lyft is providing 50% off or up to $5 off of rides across the country for election off on the lowest costs offerin its fleet of dockless scooters and bikes. twin sisters in fresno are providing or actually proving they're truly inseparable. >> so much so, they even went into labor on the same day. the 23-year-old yang sisters had baby girls on sunday night. they found out they were pregnant at the same time, but originally had due dates about two days apart. the nurse who helped deliver the babies said she's never seen anything like this before.

isn't that sweet? they've gonthat would be crazy. >> and the doctors. >> that would be crazy. the weather today is not crazy. it's going to be preut cl acrose to get some rain, wouldn't it? but as we get a look outside right now, we're looking toward st. ignatius church and university of san francisco. things are looking good as you get ready to head out this morning. just bundle up. the seven-day forecast is at th screen. 41 in san francisco so you're warming up. it is 38 degrees in napa, and 48 degrees in san jose. lot of these numbers are much cooler than yesterday, than when you were stepping out the door, so just be prepared for that, maybe to help you wake up, and if you are going out for a run around danville,ow0s there, and then we go up to 58 degrees

at 9:00, so if you wait a little bit later this morning, it's going to feel much more comfortable. we're headed up to 72 by lunch time. now, after you go to the polls, and you just want to take it easy, maybe head to half moon y, going to be nice there, with our highs reaching into the low 60s throughout the afternoon, and breezy winds, but just getting ready and getting up and out the door this morning, it's going to be a pretty good hair day. nd a light wind. now, as we get a look at our highs today, we're headed into the upper 70s in the north bay, and san francisco 68 degrees. 73 in oakland, and 82 in concord. for san jose, expect a high of 77 degrees, and normally we're in the upper 60s. we do still have the influence of high pressure really to the west of us but the northerly wind blowing offshore is giving us dry conditions and causes high fluctuations from our morning temperatures to the afternoon and it cools down quickly as well. so very dry air, and we're going

to see that continuing as we go into the weekend and early next week, still no rain in the forecast, as it stays well to the north of0s, and low 80s, en weekend, and then on monday, maybe the kids are out of school, it's going to be in the upper 70s and theng atppf the week in san francisco. heading over to mike, you're tracking something on the peninsula. >> we have reports, it sounds like a disabled vehicle north 101, there's willow right here. little farther north in marsh and the next exit, reports of a disabled vehicle which may be in lanes. sounds like the traffic should be moving smoothly. we see that on the live camera. there may be a quick traffic break, sometimes that happens and they have to help escort a vehicle over to the shoulder there right here, just north of 82 in the dumbarton bridge. quick view shows you the sensors all over the bay are still in the green zone, that's great news. we have an issue the dumbarton bridge as you exit and get toward thornton off on the

fremont and newark side, disabled vehicle blocking the slow lane.ou get to 880 the nimitz freeway. the nimitz is moving nicely. bay bridge. here's cocoa county. we see a little slowing the yellow right there, just popped up, getting into concord, out of bay point. we'll watch for the build toward 242 and also westbound 80, coming down toward the carquinez bridge, your typical pattern, we'll start to see the volume build now. no problem for the rails, a nice easy ride for these folks. b.a.r.t., muni, ace and vt reporting no delays for the systems. quick look outside shows you fremont as well. you have company, there's the nimitz, past the truck scales, but no problems. the headlights are going south into silicon valley. back to you. >> thanks, mike. >> 5:20 right now. coming up, what's on the ballot in contra costa county. the tax pot lovers and growers would soon have to pay. what the money would be used for. we'll break it down for you, next. plus, it's official.

we have a brand new sexiest man. no, laura, that is not me. we'll unblur this to tell you about it, coming up next. >> looks like a pose you might have. >> you never know. secrets, secrets. but first on twitter, i want to know your thanks about this one. is it true that no one is skipping thanksgiving, because halloween is celebrated from the 1st of october until the 31st of october, then christmas from november 1st until the 21st, and than thanksgiving on the 22nd only and back to christmas. what are your thoughts on this one? it had me thinking. more of that. getting closer the

boarder. the group is stopping in mexico city to rest and receive medical treatment. with hundreds of miles l presidr journey a central campaign issue saying the caravan is a major threat. he has also ordered thousands of troops to the border and threatened to detain asylum seekers. the man accused of sending pipe bombs to prominent democrats and cnn .. is due to appear in a new york city courtroom today. authorities arrested cesar sayoc in florida. investigators say they tracked him down from fingerprints left

on an suspicious package. sayoc will be tried in a new he )s now accused of sending 16 explosive devices. none of them exploded. some east bay voteder also weigh new regulations for the budding marijuana industry. measure "r" would add a 4% tax on pot businesses in inuncorporated contra costa county. supporters say the added revenues may reach $4 million per year and reduce crime tied to unregulated sales. opponents argue they go toward county pension debts and send pot businesses to the black market. voters in half moon bay will make a final decision on a heated issue. measure gg would allow marijuana nurseries to operate in the city under certains that measure ayfarm. he takes pards o those who oppose the measure say it will lure outside investors an

ellen well comes a trusted political analyst. >> an 8-year-old going door to door in burbank encouraging others to go out and vote. >> are you planning on voting in the midterms? >> i'm a little nervous about voting. >> well, here, we have some practice ballots here. >> oh, look at this. we've got a ballot. >> it's pretty easy to vote. you check your choice. >> dogs or cats. i'm going with cats. >> i am also campaigning while we're at it. >> what is she running for? eddie redmaine is on the show today, star of fantastic beast" talking about his experience on the set of the film. watch "ellen" at 4:00 and stay tuned for "nbc bay area news" at 5:00, followed by "nightly news with lester holt" at 5:30. join our nbc team for live election coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. forget the midterm elections. the real winners have been decided when it comes to the

sexiest man alive. >> okay. jimmy fallon announced this year's winner last night. take a look. >> ladies and gentlemen, this year's sexiest man alive is -- idris alba! >> hey! >> hey, how are you? >> i thought it was going to be me. >> a lot of people love elba's smoldering good looks. he's the 33rd heart throb to win at ward. may the award. maybe i'll get it next year. 5:27. coming up, election day, decision 2018 polls open in about an hour and a half here in the bay area. the reason the feds are keeping cora costa county city.area htn man barricading himself in a home for hours. the way it ended. and a live view of the san

mateo bridge at this hour. mike is actually tracking the morning commute. kari has your election day forecast, all of that coming up and much more right here on "today in the bay." 5:28.

there comes a point when you realize the bathroom you used to love needs a makeover. let a professional rebath design consultant help craft the look you want. call 925-233-6471 and save $1000 off your complete bathroom remodel with pg&e in the sierras. and i'm an arborist since the onset of the drought, more than 129 million trees have died in california. pg&e prunes and removes over a million trees every year to ensure that hazardous trees can't impact power lines.

and since the onset of the drought we've doubled our efforts. i grew up in the forests out in this area and honestly it's heartbreaking to see all these trees dying. what guides me is ensuring that the public is going to be safer and that these forests can be sustained and enjoyed by the community in the future. many states right now - live pictr right now at 5:30, a live look from ames, iowa, and also atlanta, georgia. we've been watching a steady stream of people coming in to cast their votes. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia.

>> and i'm marcus washington. right now we look at what's going on with the weather today. lot of people headed to the polls, kari. is it going to be good weather for it? >> yes, we have no reason not to go today. it starts out cool, but nothing that a jacket can't handle. we'll see some very clear skies and a cool start this morning, and then as we head out, as we get a look at our forecast in santa teresa, look at how chilly it's going to be, only 48 degrees for the first part of the morning, but then quickly warming up. before you know it, we'll be in the low 70s. as we head toward dublin, we'll be at 51 degrees at 8:00. clear skies and only reaching the mid-70s today. we'll talk about our microclimates and the weekend forecast coming up and mike, folks are waiting to get across the bay. >> can't wait to get to this, backup here at the bay bridge. it's tuesday, it's traditional. right there, the backup, the polls are not open. folks will not be voting right now. these folks aren't going to vot may delay getting into the office for voting, getting out

in the middle clee may bflow. westbound highway 4 out of bay little more gradual build for ipoin has slowly built up over the last 20 minutes. the upper east shore may be a crash around san pablo avenue, i'll let you know if chp gives us more detail. the rest of the bay shows a smooth drive. south bay and peninsula no problems. back to you. >> thanks, mike. now to decision 2018 coverage and election day in america. herer some of the top races we're following at this hour. 435 house races are on the ballot, with democrying to win control of the chamber, and in the senate 35 seats are at stake, with republicans trying to expand the party's slim majori majority. california, the race is on to replace governorbrown. in the bay area, it will be a heated sheriff's race in santa clara county, and we'll be re a to open, now is your chance for your voice to be heard. >> "today in the bay's" bob redell is live in contra costa

county, where workers are already busy at the local registrar's office, bob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, marcus and laura. yes, even though polls don't open here in cocoa county until 7:00, we know workers are already showing up here at the local registrar's office and at the other polling locations throughout the county, those expected out there probably within the next half hour or so. just to make sure things are going to be running smoothly, to put out any fire so to speak, let's say poll workers are locked out or they don't have their materials, things like that. now, there is at least one big change in store this election day, across the bay, in san mateo county. san mateo county is one of 35 counties nationwide that the department of justice will be monitoring in person. san mateo h no history of voter fraud, rather, it is testing out a new ballot system for the first time and the feds want to see how it goes. the county has switched from a traditional polling place election model to an all mail

ballot model, which means every registered voter in san mateo county now receives a ballot by mail. they can choose to mail it back in, drop it off at a voting center, or vote in person at the ball box. >> it has basically increased voter participation across all voting blocks, and we're seeing an increase in voting as of today. we're over 100% in terms of ballots that have an cast at vote centers, compared to the june election, and we're 40% higher in terms of the ballots that have been returned day-to-day. >> reporter: for its first time ever, san mateo tells us that they have 500,000 eligible voters, of whom 400,000 registered to vote. that's an 80% registration rate. the county believes this indicates that that new voting model might be working. reporting live here in martinez, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> it is also now up to voters to decide who will be

california's next governor. democratewm will cast his vote this morning in larkspur and head to los angeles for election night. his opponent, republican john cox, who will return to san diego today, after making stops in the bay area. both candidates made a final push right here in the bay area yesterday, saying affordability is the key issue they will focus on. >> obviously, a major segment of this homeless population are people who have just been priced out of their homes. let me tell you, day one, i'm going to start working on that. >> the issue that define this is moment is our capacity to our society.ssue of income >> recent polls showing newsom is in the lead over cox. in the bay area, several measures will be on the ballot. san francisco voter also make a decision on proposition c, a homeless tax measure. it increases taxes on businesses earning more than $50 million a year by 5%. it would also generate about

$300 million over a year. the funds would provide housing for 5,000 homeless people. in san jose, measure v, a housing bond, is a hot issue. if passed, the city will authorize up to $450 million in bonds to fund housing construction. supporters say it is a crucial step and would save the city money in the long run. opponents argue it is an additional burden on taxpayers. be sure to tune in to "today in the bay," after the election. weha races locally and nationally. all the final numbers come in by the morning. our coverage starts at 4:30 tomorrow morning. >> 5:36 f right now. new this morning, a tense police standoff in contra costa county is now over. this is after the suspect allegedly assaulted an officer, and at this hour, we're getting new information as far as what led to this incident. "today in the bay's" pete suratos joins us live from antioch police headquarters there, and pete, some of those people were out of their homes for hours this morning.

>> reporter: yes, that's right. good morning to you, marcus. what this all started off as a call for a domestic dispute, that's why antioch police were sent to that area, and we have more information on what may have caused this whole dispute in the first place. let's show you some of the scene video, not too far from here on the 4500 block of deerfield drive in antioch. it's all clear because the standoff ended roughly around 2:00 a.m. not clear exactly how it ended or if the suspect is in custody, but we do know that antioch police tell us it started on monday night with that domestic dispute call, andeapo and assaulting an officer, then barricading himself in a home. now as a result, s.w.a.t. teams showed up and as you mentioned, people were forced to evacuate, about eight to ten homes in that area. our crews did get a chance to speak to some of the evacuees, including a whom who says she claims the suspect pointed the gun at her brother-in-law before allegedly assaulting this

officer. she says there are neighbors who had a disagreement beforehand apparently. here's what she had to say. >> next door neighbor just moved in about three months ago, so they're very new to the neighborhood, and there have been a few incidents apparently with the neighbors son coming over and acting in a threatening manner. but then he would come and apologize. >> we are tired, we're coming home from work, and we get up early to go to work also, so it's hard to be up at this time right now. >> reporter: the antioch police officer was released from the hospital, with non-life-threatening injuries. that is good news but the case is still under investigation with antioch police. we're live here in antioch, pete suratos for "today in the bay." >> pete, thank you for that update there. 5:39 for you right now. follow-up, authorities today are expected to release the identity of the man who died in yesterday's triple shooting at a detox center outside of san

rafael. this is the story that we brought you as breaking news all morning yesterday on "today in the bay," and deputies say 37-year-old daadvance lamar reed shot and killed a staff member and injured two others. investigators say one of them is his girlfriend, 30-year-old brittany mccann. deputies arested the suspect yesterday afternoon. people who know him say he dated mccann for years and there were never any signs of trouble. it's 5:39. k at the morning commute. >> overall it's looking pleasant. eelimit. slowing behind here in san jose and your typical build here, the first burst and that will clear and kick in once again. i am tracking this one. i'm a little concerned, this is the upper east shore freeway and just past overcrossing there, we have reportsddlelane. i've seen a slowdown that kicked in pretty quickly and then it's holding steady here at e

el sobrante. they may have cleared that vehicle to the shoulder, but we'll check with chp. i want them to confirm that. otherwise, i'm going to keep an eye closely on the upper east shore freeway. the bay bridge toll plaza has your standard metering lights and no surprises there. this is a beautiful view of the golden gate bridge, very clear, look, you can see the towers, the clear means doesn't mean warm, it means cooler this morning, i go's. >> a little chilly this morning. >> yes, and it's going to be cool for the next several mornings. no changes even as we go into the weekend. we'll have these cool mornings but warm afternoons. here is a look at the seven-day fore, valleys and yes, this is early november, and then as we head toward veteran's day, really doesn't cool off that much. we're still in the mid to we'll make it 70 degrees for thursday and friday. up towards lakereh into the u t weekend. mostly sunny skies there,

russian river valley is nice and comfortable and highs reaching into the low 70s. if you're heading to the beach and monterey is looking nice, we'll be up to 72 on friday and 69 degrees on saturday. 68 on sunday. we will talk about our temperature trend, coming up in about three minutes. >> sounds good. coming up right now, 5:41. pg&e pushing for changes after the devastating north bay wildfires. the reason you might be paying more. pstinues.

big corporations are making and just got a huge tax break. but the middle class is struggling. prop c is a common-sense plan. the top 1% of businesses pay their fair share to tackle homelessness for all of us. companies with revenue greater than $50 million pay, not small businesses or homeowners. the prop c plan is supported by the democratic party, nancy pelosi & dianne feinstein vote "yes" on c. big corporations pay for it, not you.

. right now at 5:44, we are 15 minutes away from sunrise, and as we get a look outside in san jose, all clea ch at fro there. now, we arele than five minutes. we have a smooth flowing tranic east shore freeway crash. going to wait for the final detail to come in, how that traffic slow should be expected. back to you. >> thanks. 5:45 for you. new details suggesting pg&e will continue efforts to limit liability when it comes to wildfire damages. >> the utility may be on the hook for billions in damages from last year's north bay firestorm but in its recent earnings call the ceo says it will continue trying to change california's strict liability standards.

governor brown recently signed a new fire mitigation law allowing utilities to hike rates to cover damage costs but the measure initially included language to change liability laws, which lawmakers later removed, so the bill would pass. we've been mentioning all morning on "today in the bay," today americans head to the polls, and their attitude toward president trump driving a lot of votes. >> scott mcgrew looks at what could happen. >> i'll take a look at the are s are even more important. california propositions, even who is running for your local water board may affect you and your family far more than who wins a congressional seat in pennsylvania. that said, let's take a look at what you need to know, as we talk about this. the republicans right now have a lock on the federal government. the house and the senate and the presidency. to flip the house, the democrats are going to need 23 additional seats. our nbc bay area political expert dr. larry gerston thinks

california right now. running a tight race congress against a former venture capitalist, this seat could flip. there are a number of vulnerable seats in southern california as well. certainly the most unusual is the 50th district, where republican duncan hunter, the incumbe incumbent, facing felony charges for using campaign funds for his own use, like a big family trip to europe and golfing shorts. his wife says he was the one -- he says his wife stole the money. what we think of as a safe republican district, but the criminal charges and the decision to blame his wife are on the mind of voters, with mr. hunter, so let's talk about the women's issue here. well-educated suburban women could make orakonor either side. many voted republican in the past. women are the biggest demographic to leave the republican party.

the senate here in california, we know the democrat also win. both candidates are democrats. incumbent dianne feinstein leads kevin deleon. it's harder for democrats to flip the senate even though they need to pick up two additional seats. there are races all over the country. currently two republican senators, blue is two democrats and stripes are one of each. current status of the senate, republicans need to defend arizona, nevada, texas looking closer than we expected. we' we'll be following this throughout the morning. you can follow the progress on twitter, as we continue to blog and nbcbayarea.com, to find your local polling place. >> join us tomorrow morning, when we've got a recap of all those numbers. >> we're here, bright and early! well, dark and early. 4:30 we're on the air. >> even though the sun is rising earlier now, but we're still adjusting to that. we're also adjusting to the cool temperatures you'll feel as you

step out the door. take a look in napa we're at 38 degrees. it is indeed winter. at least starting out, and then we're going to summer this afternoon. we'll be at 45, as you head out in livermore, and 47 in oakland and palo alto. the morning drive from morgan hill, look at that, only 41 degrees from 7:00 to 8:00, and then after the sun rises, it's going to start to warm up, and it happens fairly fast. we'll be at 68 degrees by noon. let's head over to martinez, and check out our temperature trend. we go from 46 in the morning there to 74 at noon, and then as you check out the seven-day forecast at the bottom of the screen, really no major changes here over the next few days. our highs up to 77 in san jose. milpitas reaching 80 degrees. east bay looking at some mid 80s in a few spots, but we'll be much warmer than yesterday, for the inland parts of the east bay, concord reaches 82, and 77 in vallejo, and in palo alto,

expect a high of 79. san francisco staying in the 60s today, and the north bay looking at highs mostly in the 70s. so as you're getting dressed this morning, you do need a hat or a scarf, or just something to keep you warm, because it is so cool, and the warmup that happens this afternoon. you'll want to stay comfortable. no excuses for not getting out there tolls, even though it starts out cool with some upper 40s inland, the bay will be in the low 50s. it stays in the upper 60s for the bay, while the inland valleys reach mostly into the upper 70s. so a few spots hit the low 80s, and as we go through the rest of the forecast, we keep this nice dry weather. it would be nice to see some rain, and as i look at the computer models, i do not see any rain through the middle of the month. maybe toward the end of the month, so right now, we are just taking it in. it stays comfortable over the next seven days. mike, you're updating the crash in san pablo. >> that was the upper east shore freeway. i was concerned, tough time, tough spot. looking at the south bay, up

either side of the bay, a smooth drive. we see a little slowing here, the san mateo bridge, i'll call i'll double check with chp to make sure there's nothing going on there, there may be, so we'll check on that. we got good news, westbound 80, the upper east shore freeway, all lanes cleared, just past san pablo at mcbride. folks are recovering from speeds from highway 4, hercules into richmond, the only slow section we have aside from the bay bridge toll plaza, where the metering lights are on and we see a little dip right around university, just starting to build there. cocoa county looks great, walnut creek interchange no problem and highway 4 has held steady for the last 20 minutes so that's good news. we saw it building gradually a little early, holding steady there. there is the richmond to san rafael bridge and the backup for the cash payers there. no problems for folks doing the hov and also for fast track. good stuff, and an easy ride along the peninsula, no delays for travel times on the bay shore freeway. back to you. >> thanks, mike. next and all new this hour, a warning before your next

pick-me-up. brand new research showing how quickly one energy drink can do damage. plus endangered animals held we investi lion, tigers and oth animals. happening now, a developing story out of africa, n schearly. officials say armed seti the kidnappers say they will only release the students if they are allowed to break off and create a new state. more news right after this break. it's 5:52.

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and check out this phot nbc bay area )s kris sanchez polls open in the bay photo sanchez sharing on twitter, writing in san francisco, your dog can't vote but they can get a sticker. if you're looking for poll locations in your area kris posted links so you can find your polling place. could your next trip to the hospital include virtual reality? >> a so-called operating room of the future. this was set up at a business summit in texas, and it comes to

life wearing specialized goggles. virtual element could be used in real time with patients on the operating table, meant to enhance surgical techniques. the holographic displays highlight specific anatomy to put virtual information literally at doctor's fingertips there. this specific innovation isn't in use inside any real or yet or or o.r. yet. drinking at's new research presented in american heart association scientific session. doctoray you later, energy drink consumption already associated with several health problems, including links to more heart and blood pressure changes than regular caffeinated drinks. this morning, a u.s. olympic committee continues to take steps to remove usa gymnastics as the sports's governing body. >> it's a huge story that continues to develop.

the latest fallout from the sex abuse scandal surrounding the u.s. gymnastics handling of larry nasser. they faced several lawsuits and revolving door among leadership. two young siblings who disappeared from the south bay are safe this morning. it's a story we covered this past weekend. this is their mother, the alleged kidnaper. police say took visit with a social worker at a her kids during a supervialsed park friday. deputies found them near colorado springs yesterday. the chirp were not injured. 5:57 for you right now. you may not notice this until a tiger actually shows up in your neighbor's backyard but federal agents are saying the exotic animal trade fuels a black market in the bay area. investigative reporter stephen stock discovered it's growing in

colorado every year. >> to get an idea of how big this smuggling problem really is, our team went behind the scenes with u.s. border patrol and fish and wildlife agents. >> it's crazy. it's such a fine line to work, because you don't want to slow down commerce. it's the needle in the haystack type of situation. >> reporter: among the animals recently seized coming into the unig cub smuggled in the back seat of a car coming across the border from mexico, three live cobras, smuggled in potato chip cans from hong kong, caught at the secret mail facility, and live birds strapped to a passenger's legs under his pants, when he arrived from east asia at lax. to see our entire story, including where some of these exotic pets end up, when they become too dangerous to keep in back yards, plus a breakout of what kind of exotic animals can be found here in california, just go to our website nbcbayarea.com/investigations. >> if you have a story for our investigative unit, you can give

them a call, that's 888-996-tips or send them an email, go to the website there, nbcbayarea.com/investigations. right now it's 6:00. ready to vote. polls are already open now in the east, and they open here in california in less than an hour. team coverage of key local ra impact as well, including some last-minute campaigning. also all now,acccused of spreading campaign misinformation, warning about election security this morning. and breaking overnight, up in flames. the south bay greenhouse destroyed. the loud boom that scared people nearby. "today in the bay" continues right now. a very good tuesday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. first we get to meteorologist kari hall, this election day forecast looking good for us. >> it looks good, but it does start out cool. we are going to have some of us starting out in the 30s and 40s this morning. make sure you're prepared for that. here is a live look outside in

palo alto. it will warm up fast. already at 9:00 we're at 53 degrees, headed into the low 70s today, and as you make your way out the door in pleasant hill, it's going to be only at, and then already at 10:00, we're at about all of our microclimates coming up and mike, you're checking out the san mateo bridge. >> i am, kari. we saw the slowing on the map. took the live camera and we see the brake lights all the way across from the toll plaza camera, or just past the toll plaza along the flat section. looks like the incline and the high-rise are moving smoothly. no details from chp, nothing on twitter, aside from one mention. i think someone supposing there is a disabled vehicle mid span. we can tell you for sure it's slow. we know that for sure. likely a disabled vehicle. i've seen speed sensors change so they may be in the clearing stages. whatever the case, you can avoid that san mateo bridge taking the slowing out of hayward. by the time you get to union city, you're okay getting over

there. 84 will build westboun time, an folks will be avoiding the other ck